11
Apr
verizon-logo-12

Verizon Wireless To Implement A $30 'Upgrade Fee' Beginning On April 22

Posted by in News, Verizon Wireless

In order to further take advantage of its customers "continue to provide customers with the level of service and support they have come to expect," Verizon will be adding a $30 "upgrade fee" to all new devices purchased with a two-year agreement after April 22, 2012.

Big Red is quick to remind users that other carriers also charge a similar fee, but I'd like to remind it that the lack of a ridiculous upgrade fee is one of the reasons that many customers choose Verizon as their mobile provider.

As if LTE devices aren't already expensive enough - that $300 handset just turned into a $330 handset.

10
Feb
at-t-logo

AT&T To Increase Handset Upgrade Fee To $36 From $18, Citing Increased Costs For New Handsets, Starting February 12

Posted by in AT&T, Carriers, News

In a move that is likely to upset every single AT&T customer to some degree, the nation's number two carrier has decided that its current upgrade fee (a cost tacked on whenever a current customer renews their contract and gets a new phone) isn't covering the rising cost of subsidized smartphones. The current upgrade fee is $18, and will soon be doubled to $36, matching the current fee at Sprint.

BGR-att-upgrade-memo

At T-Mobile, the current cost is $18. At Verizon, there isn't one. Certainly puts things into perspective. Of course, the one thing to remember about fees is that a little sweet talking to a customer representative can often help you avoid them in the first place.

31
Aug
Sprint

Sprint Changing Early Termination Policy, Upgrade Fee, And Dropping One-Year Contracts

Posted by in News, Sprint

It looks like Sprint is changing the way things are done in order to keep up with the competition, which doesn't always translate into good news for the consumer. The early termination fee (ETF) is getting an overhaul that will go into effect on September 9th, which will bump the ETF on "advanced devices" (read: smartphones, tablets, netbooks, and notebooks) up to  a maximum of $350, putting The Now Network's policy in line with that of VZW and AT&T. If you're in mid-contract and are thinking of jumping ship, just take the remaining amount of months left in your agreement and multiply by $20 to figure out your exact ETF -- if you have less than 4 months left, though, you'll be spending a minimum of $100.